Third Grade Comprehension Worksheets and Activities

How Can I Create a Comprehension Worksheet?

By third grade, most students can understand basic texts but should continue practicing their comprehension skills to advance. You can help your child accomplish this by using guided reading and other targeted lessons. One of the easiest ways to assess your child's progress is to assign comprehension worksheets.

To create your own comprehension worksheet for your son or daughter, select a short passage with no more than 100-200 words. Many are available on the Internet or you could write one you think your child will enjoy. The text can be a fictional narrative or an informative piece. After you've selected a reading passage, compose 5-10 multiple-choice and short-response comprehension questions. Read on for additional comprehension activities.

Three Comprehension Activities for Third Graders

Family Book Club

One of the most effective ways for students to improve their comprehension skills is to practice listening and reading out loud. To make this a fun activity, set up a family book club that meets once per week to discuss either a full book or a short passage together. During the weekly meeting, the person who chose the reading material that week will be the moderator and get the discussion started.

Journaling

When introducing journaling as a comprehension activity for your son or daughter, you must first decide whether you will provide writing prompts that relate to a text, or if you'll ask your child to simply reflect on his or her reading for that day. You can always combine the two by providing a prompt for one session and leaving it open for another.

Not only does journaling promote strong comprehension and active reading skills, it also provides students with extra writing practice. If you decide to use journaling as a regular comprehension activity for your third grader, start with a formal schedule. By setting specific days and times aside, your child will be more likely to look forward to the activity.

Comprehension Questions by Subject

Comprehension doesn't just involve literature; it also involves informational texts. In third grade, students should be able to read and understand texts from other classes, including social studies and science. Your child can practice his or her comprehension skills with these texts by reading passages and answering short-response questions. Many textbooks will have a few questions at the end of each chapter, but you may also choose to create your own to better assess your child.